Bag-filling machine.



P. A. FRYE. BAG FILLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR-:26, 1906.

#HE mamas PETERS co., wAsnmnroN, D. c.

Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

P. A. PRYha BAG FILLING MACHINE.

v APPLICATION I'ILBD MAR; 26, 1906. 9 1 5,8417

2 sums-sum Patented Mar. 23

I u. C. THE "cams PETERS co,, wnsnmarou,

PHILIP A. FRYE, OF CLEVELAND, OHI O.

BAG-FILLING- MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. March 23, 1909.

Application filed March 26, 1906. Serial No. 307,978.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP A. FRYE, a citizen of the United States,residing in Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Bag-Filling Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

' This invention relates to improvements in.

machines for filling bags with fiour, sugar and other comminuted or finematerials.

My principal endeavor has been to devise a construction by which the bagcan be filled solidly full at the top as well as at the bot tom so thatthe dimensions of the bag may be kept as small as possible. This resultI bring about mainly by two features of the mechanism. 1st., by adaptingthe mechanism so it will shake the bag while it is being filled in anovel manner, calculated tosolidify the contents to such an extent as torender possible a material reduction in the amount of cloth or paperrequired in the bag, and second, by providing an improved mechanism forfeeding and packing the ma-' terial at the end of the filling operation.The mechanism by which these results are attained and its mode ofoperation are fully disclosed in the accompanying drawing, and set forthin the sub'joined description.

In said drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved bagfilling machine, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3is-a horizontal section. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2enlarged from the scale of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail section on theline 55 of-Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, 10 represents the bag being filled, and 11 aplatform or floor upon which it is placed and upon which it isrepeatedly dropped while the filling is going on to solidify or pack thecontents. 7 At the level of the mouth of the bag are devices forgripping the top thereof, and these are de slrably constructed asfollows: Two parallel fiat bars 12, 12 are arranged edge to edge atopposite sides of the mouth of the bag, and provided with springs 13,13at their ends adapted to force them apart. A swinging lever 14, havinganti-friction rollers 15 15 at its ends, acts to draw the bars togetherand cause them to grasp the sewed and closed portion of the mouth of thebag with sufficient firmness to enable them to lift the bag, by thecontact of its said rollers with rounded inner surfaces of yokes 16 and17, each fastened to one of the bars and eX- and evenly full.

istruction. The straight tubular mouth piece 34 adapted to tending overtheother bar, the curvature of the yokes being such as to enable thelever to cause the bars to exert their greatest pressure on the bag whenthe lever stands at right angles to the bars, and to release theirclamping action when the lever is turned to a position parallel ornearly so to the bars. The lever is mounted centrally and swings on arising and falling upright 18, located at one side of the feeding spout,and connected to a similar upright 19 at the other side-of said spout bya cross head 20. The up rights 19 and 20 have bearings in brackets 21and. 22 attached to the wall 23 or other suitable support, and arerepeatedly actuated up and down while the bag is being filled by faceacting cams 2 4 24 preferably of the shape shown on a cross shaft 25supported in bearings 26, 26 and actuated by pulley 27. The uprights areprovided with a cross head 28 above the cams, and this cross head isprovided with pairs of depending arms 29 between each pair of which ispivoted aroller 30 bearing on the acting face of one of the cams. As theshaft 25 is continuously driven in the direction indicated at Fig. 2, itwill be seen that theuprights will be lifted by the cams at eachrevolution, and after being raised to the highest point thereby, will beallowed to descend suddenly, and that in this movement the bag clampingdevices and the bag are correspondingly lifted and depressed so that thebag will in the repeated lifting and falling movements be raised fromits platform 11 and quickly dropped onto the same with force and as themovements are often re- "force it under the closed portion, to the endthat all parts of the bag may be filled solidly Hence the feedingdevices are constructed as follows: The flour or other commodity is fedto the machine through the chute 31, delivering into a funnel 32 inwhich is a revolving agitator 33 of any suitable confunnel terminates ina be entered in the bag as seen at Fig. 1, and in this mouth is a valveadapted to be raised so as to close the mouth piece and interrupt theflow of the flour Whenever that is desirable as it is toward the finishof the operation, and when the operation is complete. This valve ismounted on the lower end of an operating rod 36 which extends up throughand beyond the funnel. In the upper part of the funnel the rod issurrounded by a tube 37, and within said tube is provided with a liftingspring 38, which maintains it with the valve raised to its closingposition except when overcome as now to be explained. The upper end ofrod 36 is adapted to move through a suitably arranged opening 39 in thecross head 28, and below this opening I arrange a plate 40 pivoted at 41and provided with a spring 42 acting to keep it nor mally in position toclose said opening and thus )revent the entrance into it of rod 36. Itwifl be remembered that the cross head 28 moves up and down in the bagshaking oper ation and consequently if the plate 40 is in its normalposition, the valve rod 36 would be depressed with each downwardmovement of the cross head and allowed to return under the power of itsspring 38 with each upward movement, thus moving the valve 35 so that itopens and closes the mouth piece at each operation. I also apply to themain shaft 25 a collar 43 from which projects an arm 44 adapted toengage the downward projection 45 upon said plate 40 and force the plateto uncover the opening 39. This if properly timed, allows the upper endof the rod 36 to enter said opening 39 so that the valve 1s thenpermitted to close the mouth piece, but

it continues to open and close the mouth piece as before, the plate 40resuming its position at each upward stroke of the cross head. When thevalve closes the mouth piece it acts with the same as a plun er, forcingits way into the material already in the bag when the bag is raised inthe shaking operation, and creates an opening therein for fresh materialwhich enters at once up on the opening of the mouth piece. During theinitial stages of the filling operation, the valve 35 is held in itsopen position by engagement with the projection 46, of a catch 47attached to and operated by a handle 48. This hand device, can, ofcourse, be brought into use at any time and released whenever desiredand when released the plate 40 uncovers the opening 39 so that. thelimited movement is then given the valve. The handle 48 and catch aresupported in a bracket 49 attached to a standard 50 mounted on to of thefunnel. This same standard is also provided with bearings for a verticalshaft 51, upon the upper end of which is a bevel pinion 52 meshing witha bevel gear 53 on the main shaft 25, and at the lower end said shaft 51carries a spur pinion 54 meshing with a gear 55 secured upon the upperend of the tube 37 and rotating the same. The agitator 33 is rigidlyattached to the lower end. of the tube 37 and through said tube receivesits rotary motion.

The uprights 1S and 19 in order to enable them to give room to the mainshaft 25 are provided with looped sections 50 plainly illustrated atFig. 2, which enables the uprights to move up and down withoutinterference from the shaft. In like manner the valve rod 36 is providedwith a loop section 57 passing down at either side of said main shaft.

The operation of the machine is substantially as follows: Supposing thatthe bag has been positioned, and. the closed portion of its top clamped,the valve 35 is moved into and locked in the open position by the catch47 so that the flour may flow freely into the bag until the bag isalmost full. The lock upon the valve is now released so that the valvecloses the mouth piece and shuts oil the feed of the material and thevalve rod rises against the plate 40. The bag holder which during theentire operation is being lifted and dropped in its shaking movements,new carries the bag upward far enough so that the closed mouth of thefunnel is forced down into the material a sufficient distance to form anopen space therein and when the bag descends, the plate 4-0 will forcethe valve to open the mouth piece and allow some of the material toenter said open space. At the next rise and fall of the bag, thisoperation will be repeated and is repeated as often as necessary untilthe desired quantity has been forced into the bag.

It will be noted that the bag before fil ing is closed except for aspace large enough to admit the valve and mouth piece and that suchopening is in the top of the bag so that it must be filled by avertically moving packing device. This is a desirable feature of themachine because it reduces the amount of sewing to be done afterfilling, and because it enables the entire bag to be filled at oneoperation. I prefer to locate this opening at the corner of the bag,though this is not absolutely necessary. 7

My invention permits the filling of the bag solidly full without anydanger of scouring the flour as it is called.

My invention feeds the material by gravity, and the plunger assiststherein by com.- pacting the material already in the bag, so that theoperation is quick.

As already stated, the machine is adapted to operate upon bags themouths of which have been previously sewed up partially or mainly. Iregard this as an important feature of my invention because the machineforces the material under the closed portion so that such portion ismuch more solidly filled than in previous machines. And the ability tofeed the material into the open portion of the mouth as the com actingproceeds is also advantageous as also fill the bag under thatportionvery full. In fact, the machine is adapted to compact thematerial to such an extent as to enable the use of smaller bags thanheretofore, thus economizing materially the cost of the bags.

I claim I 1. The combination with means for taking hold of the top ofthe bag and means for shaking the same, of means for filling the bag,consisting of a small vertical delivery tube projecting downward intothe bag, and a valve at the lower end of said tube acting to close thesame, and also to pack the material in the bag.

2. The combination with means for imparting a jigging or shakingmovement to a bag, of filling means having a vertical mouth piece ordelivery tube projecting down into the bag, a valve closing the bottomof said tube and adapted to be extended below the end of the tube, andmeans for alternately lowering and raising said valve.

chine with means for im arting a rising and falling movement to the ag,of filling means having a vertical mouth piece or delivery tube adaptedto be entered in the bag, a

valve closing the bottom of the tube and adapted to be extended belowthe lower end of the same; automatically acting means for alternatelylowering and raising the valve,

and means for locking the valve when open.

4. The combinatlon with means for 1111- parting a rising and fallingmovement to a bag, of filling means having a vertical mouth. 3

piece or delivery tube adapted to. enter the bag, a valve closing thebottom of said tube, means for alternately lowering and raising thevalve, and means for holding the valve in the closed position when thebag rises.

5. The combination with means for imparting a rising and fallingmovement to the bag, of filling means having a vertical mouth piece ordelivery tube adapted to enter the bag, a valve closing the bottom ofsaid tube and opening the same by moving downward from the tube, andmeans for alternately lowering and raising said valve so the same mayact in compressing the material in the bag and in admitting freshmaterial.

6. In a bag filling machine, means for imparting to the bag an up anddown Inovement, in combination with filling devices having a verticalmouth piece adapted to enter the opening in the top of the bag and avalve closing the bottom of the mouth piece and adapted to open the sameby moving loodily below the mouth piece in a straight 7. In a bagfilling machine, means for imparting to the bag an up and down movement,in combination with filling devices having a vertical mouth pieceadapted to enter the opening in the top of the bag, a valve closing thebottom of the mouth piece and adapted to act with the same incompressing the material, a vertical rod controlling said valve andlowering and raising it intermittently during each filling operation,and

means for actuating said rod.

8. The bag filling machine wherein are combined a vertical feed tubeadapted to be entered in the bag, a valve closing the bottom of saidtube and mechanical means for moving said valve up and down during the ifilling operation, such downward movement 3. The combination in a bagfilling ma- I causing the opening of the feeding tube so that freshmaterial is admitted to the bag at intervals, and said valve and tubeacting to compact the material in the bag.

9. The bag filling machine wherein are combined means for shaking thebag, a vertical feed tube adapted to be entered in the bag, a valveclosing the bottom of said tube and mechanical means for moving saidvalve 1 up and down during the filling operation, such downward movementcausing the opening of the feeding tube so that fresh material isadmitted to the bag at intervals, and said valve and tube acting tocompact the material in the bag.

10. The bag filling machine wherein are combined means for shaking thebag, a feeding tube adapted to be entered in the bag, a valve closingthe bottom of the tube so it may act to compact the material when thebag is lifted by the shaking apparatus, means whereby said valve may be0 ened at each descending movement of t e bag, and means timed to closethe valve when the bag rises. 4

PHILIP A. FRYE.

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, I Enw. S. EVARTS.

